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I began teaching for the BLS Program in Spring 2007. I taught my "Photography: Contexts and Illusions" class and was developing another BLS course, "The Art of Life," as well as an Introduction to Art class. I was supposed to begin teaching full time the next Fall, but life interfered. While traveling with a friend in San Francisco in May, I had an accident and suffered from traumatic brain injury. I did teach Photography again Fall of 2007, but it would be another year before I could resume all my teaching.
Bob Hansen was kind enough to cover my "Art of Life" course for me until the Fall of 2008. When I first began teaching it, it was all new to me, because my accident had caused significant memory loss. I did not recall how the class was conceived or why I chose the specific examples and readings for it. However, I felt an eerie sense of fate or destiny teaching a course based on the idea that art emerges from everyday life, and that specifically art may be considered, ultimately, as an accident. Much of the subject matter of the course surrounds how accidents can lead to insight and inspiration, and I began teaching it while I was still struggling with the physical and psychological effects of my accident. One of the writing assignments my students had to complete was an essay on the theme of loss and discovery, which resonated with a lot of what I was going through – dealing with my own losses (of identity, memory, time, etc.), as well as discovering new aspects of myself. I felt inspired to write a response to my own assignment about my accident and its effects on my life, both its consequential losses as well as its discoveries. This is the essay I now post each semester that I teach the course:
For most of 2007, my existence may best be characterized as lost. I had lost weight, lost hair, lost part of my skull, lost much muscular movement and fluidity, and lost my mobility. I had lost my memory, my history, my sense of security, and my identity. I had lost my mind.
Backing up…In May of 2007, I was vacationing in San Francisco with my friend, Anna. We were exiting a café and for some unknown reason, I shot ahead on my travel scooter and fell off the high curb of the sidewalk into the street. According to Anna, I was not drunk, sick, excessively tired, or otherwise impaired before this. It was unexplainable. I hit my head, began to bleed, and an ambulance was called.
This was all told to me later, as I have no recollection of the accident, any of the trip, or even planning it. I have blocked the whole experience out. I have blocked a lot of experiences out. Even as my memory congeals, much of my life takes place in stories and photographs, but not in the sensations of being there. I don't have any flashes of being in the San Francisco hospital for 6 weeks, much of the time in a coma, and I recall very little of my time spent in a rehab hospital in Columbus, OH (where I grew up and my family lives). I only remember grueling therapy sessions there and one kind nurse, who let me have the whole container of chocolate pudding that was used to help me swallow medications. I moved in with my mother at the end of the summer, in a place she had rented, but that I thought was her home I didn't remember. Slowly, my strength and endurance came back. I exercised, read, wrote in a journal, and began to re-member – to put mind and body back together. Yet, I was content to rarely leave my sanctuary.
In a couple months, I had surgery on my skull to reconstruct the amputation, after which, I had been told, I would improve drastically. Unfortunately, I had to endure a week in the hospital before I had the surgery, after an anesthesiologist punctured my lungs trying to put an IV in my chest. But I digress. I did feel better after my skull was intact, and in just a few weeks, I began teaching an online class, one of which I was supposed to be teaching full time that Fall. My knowledge of art history, the humanities, and how to teach came right back and, likely, got stronger. I was able to concentrate and exert authority, more and more over time. I soon moved back to my home in North Carolina and to my boyfriend, whose name I could now remember. As 2008 progressed, so did I, and I was determined to no longer put anything off. I proposed to the man I love and got married, taught full time, and began to write scholarly articles and to paint again. But I was still lost.
Backing up further…I have been physically disabled since birth, and I have incorporated disability studies as a discipline, as well as my identity as a disabled woman, into my teaching and writing. I know how to teach myself to do things and how to adapt to do anything I want to do. I am (was?) independent. I have traveled internationally, lived in 3 cities, and gotten my PhD. I was, for better or worse, fearless. Now I feel anxious taking my scooter to the grocery store. But the anxiety about injury lessens over time. The anxiety over being lost is still, and may always be, unbearable. I can't sleep through the night, my moods oscillate from high to low without warning, and I can't remember people, places, and personal things. I sometimes have to laugh, as, for example, I realize that not everyone looks oddly familiar because I have forgotten them, but that people just look alike. I can laugh at my loss, at times, while at other times I am consumed by feelings of emptiness and the desire to know what happened, and why.
I have learned many, countless things from my accident, about myself and the world I live in. But the main thing I have learned is that "lost" and "found" are not absolutes. They are states of being, always in flux. They collide, overlap, and intertwine. Sometimes, they make it a chore to get up in the morning. And sometimes, they produce accidental masterpieces.
The responses of the students to my essay were ones of admiration, respect, and identification. Many shared with me similar experiences of their own or of others they knew. I believe students also felt more open with me and shared more of themselves with me and with fellow students in their writing. They also encouraged me to write more. I did. Over the next few years, I drafted four more essays or chapters about my experiences in hospitals and with multiple channels of recovery, including physical, craniosacral, and art therapies. Eventually, I had a book – a memoir that incorporated research as well as personal narrative. The structure and range of subjects in the book, I felt, echoed how my brain works; in it, I switch between various subjects of interest to me and forms of writing, I go off on tangents, and often I compose text from fragments of information and memory.
Once I felt the book was nearly completed, I submitted proposals to publishers and got many respectful and complimentary rejections, as I was repeatedly told that they simply did not publish memoirs. I wanted to see my work assembled and distributed, to complete the project so that I could share my story with others, and to perhaps provide them with hope. I chose to self-publish with CreateSpace through Amazon.com.
Here is a link to its listing.
I did all the formatting of the manuscript myself, which was, admittedly, a pain; I hired my sister who was a journalist to edit; and I paid a professional to design a cover. I am proud of the project and hope readers of this blog will be interested in it. It really epitomizes the intersections between art and life, as well as the various intersections between life and online education.


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With funding unclear, Iowa teachers sent layoff notices
Dozens and possibly hundreds of Iowa teachers are receiving notices they could lose their jobs in the next school year.
School districts are sending layoff notices because of a deadline requiring them to notify teachers by April 30 of possible job losses.
District officials say they hope they won't have to follow through on the job cuts, but the inability of state lawmakers to approve a general school funding level forces them to guess on their budgets for the upcoming year.
Galen Howsare, of the Iowa Association of School Boards, says the group knows of at least 83 teachers who have been sent layoff notices, and the actually figure is likely 150 to 250.
This year, school funding has been mired in discussions about Gov. Terry Branstad's proposed education reforms.

subset: commoncrawl


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New members from the Delta and Central Valley are trickling into a coalition of Bay Area public agencies looking to increase the state's water supply with recycled water.
Brentwood, Ceres, Modesto, Fresno, Turlock, and Patterson's Del Puerto Water District recently joined the Western Recycled Water Coalition, boosting the group to 21 members.
Formerly called the Bay Area Recycled Water Coalition, the group started in the mid-2000s with a half-dozen members. It now represents about 3.2 million people.
Recycled water use reduces the amount of fresh water pumped from the Delta and provides a sustainable, water supply that can withstand droughts, low snowpacks and restrictions on water withdrawals, Gary Darling, Delta Diablo Sanitation District's general manager, said.
"Every drop of recycled water we produce reduces the amount of fresh water we have to draw from the Delta and our groundwater. It really is the low-hanging fruit of water development," Darling said.
Establishing a group of like-minded water utilities allows them to speak with "one voice" when lobbying for money from state and federal officials, Darling said.
"(U.S. Senator Dianne) Feinstein told us in 2007 that we must show these projects as resolving a regional need," Darling said.
William Wong, a senior civil engineer in Modesto, said the city joined the coalition because of its clout and success in obtaining funds. Modesto, along with Turlock, Ceres, Stanislaus County and the Del Puerto Water District, is trying to create a $100 million regional water project allowing recycled water to be used for irrigation in drought-impacted areas of the San Joaquin Valley. It would also reduce the amount of wastewater discharged into the San Joaquin River, which feeds into the Delta, Wong said.
But, previous efforts to obtain federal funds for the project have been unsuccessful.
"(Coalition membership) will help us better present our case," he said.
The group also is able to collaborate.
Over the past few years, officials say there has been more public acceptance and understanding of the use of recycled water, or as Wong puts it, people are getting over the "Ew factor."
"It's treated to a high quality; cleaner than what comes out of the river before it's treated," Wong said.
Recycled water uses in Northern California range from industrial cooling of Silicon Valley's data centers and East Contra Costa's power plants, to landscaping in parks, golf courses and trails in cities throughout the East Bay. A large recycled water program in Monterey is used for raw food crop irrigation.
Despite steep startup costs, cities are starting to see long-term savings from making the water switch.
Pittsburg has saved about $75,000 per year on its general operating costs since turning the spigot on reused water in 2009, said Walter Pease, the city's water utilities director. It cost the city $7 million, including $2.5 million in redevelopment money for the program.
Using recycled water also reduces the need for new system capacity by about 1 million gallons per day, Pease said. Calpine's two major power plants in Pittsburg both use Delta Diablo recycled water to cool its machinery.
Coalition members are planning 20 new recycled water projects over the next few years, while trying to bring in members from Monterey, the Sierra foothill communities, as well as Oregon and Nevada.
Contact Paul Burgarino at 925-779-7164. Follow him at Twitter.com/paulburgarino.


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When just getting the job done is work enough, the last thing you need is to waste time having to learn yet another computer application. Your experience with other tools should be relevant to each new application, making it possible to sit down and use that new application right away.
That is why TextPad is so popular. Whether you simply need a powerful replacement for Notepad, a tool for editing your web pages, or a programming IDE, TextPad does what you want, the way you would expect.
It is available from this web site on a try before you buy basis, so please download your trial copy now, and find out just how productive you can be.


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New 2021 & 2020 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge & Ram Dealership in Avon Lake, OH | Serving North Olmsted, Lorain & ClevelandAre you in the market for a new 2021 - 2020 Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, or Ram ? Our dealership has a large selection of new models including the popular Dodge Challenger , Jeep Cherokee , Grand Cherokee , Wrangler Unlimited , or Ram 1500 in stock. Use our up-to-date online vehicle inventory to shop for a new car day or night. Please feel free to give us a call at 440-226-3168 or stop by our Avon Lake, Ohio Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram dealership to arrange a test drive. It's our mission to assist drivers across Ohio from Cleveland, North Olmsted, and Lorain find their perfect new car, truck, or SUV.
Once you have found the new vehicle that best suits your financial budget, it's time to visit our financing department. Our team of automotive financing experts is well versed when it comes to car loans and auto leases in Avon Lake, OH . Don't see your ideal vehicle in stock? Simply fill out a CarFinder form and we will search tirelessly until we have found a suitable match.


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The prestige of a privileged land devoted to wine for more than two thousand years.
Rioja was the first Designation of Origin in Spain to earn Calificada status. This was in 1991.
A rigorous and effective control system makes Rioja synonymous with the highest quality.
Three production zones, each with a distinct personality: Rioja Alavesa, Rioja Alta and Rioja Orient
Certain to leave a mark on you. Wine is the connecting theme of all our routes.
Delve into the heart of our wines by knowing the history of our municipalities.
We tell you our stories and those of our wines.
We want Maset Rioja to be the culmination of our dream of creating a wine project integrated into the natural environment of La Rioja, which respects nature and traditional procedures in the winery. The wine is faithful to the land that sees it born.
Bodegas Maset Rioja on social networks
Are you planning a getaway? Choose the wineries you would like to visit in Rioja.
Subscribe to the newsletter
Receive our newsletter to be up to date with the Rioja and enjoy magnificent opportunities
Regulatory Council
17 Exeter Street
Covent Garden,
Tel.020 7759 7400
email@example.com // firstname.lastname@example.com
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© 2019 D.0.Ca Rioja • All rights reserved


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Hope College is in the top-10 nationwide among small colleges and universities producing Peace Corps Volunteers in 2008.
Hope is the only school from Michigan in the top-25 for small colleges and universities for 2008, according to the "Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities 2009" listings released on Monday, Jan. 12. With 18 alumni serving as Peace Corps Volunteers, Hope is in a five-way tie for 10th on the listing with Colgate University, Dartmouth College, Gustavus Adolphus College and Willamette University. In last year's report, Hope ranked 24th nationally for 2007 with 14 alumni serving as volunteers.
The Peace Corps ranks schools according to the size of the student body. Small schools are those with fewer than 5,000 undergraduates, medium-size schools have between 5,001 and 15,000 undergraduates, and large schools have more than 15,000 undergraduates. Hope has 3,238 students this year.
The number of alumni volunteers among the top 25 in each of the three undergraduate size categories ranges from 42 to 104 for large colleges and universities; from 19 to 57 for medium colleges and universities; and from 15 to 35 for small colleges and universities.
Although it is not a requirement for service, the majority of volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since its founding 47 years ago have been college graduates. Currently, 83 percent of volunteers have at least an undergraduate degree, with 11 percent of those also possessing a graduate-level degree.
Since its inception in 1961, the Peace Corps has received volunteers from over 3,000 institutions across the United States and Puerto Rico, with more than 195,000 volunteers serving in a total of 139 countries. Currently there are 7,876 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in 76 countries.
Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age. Peace Corps service is a 27-month commitment.
Michigan State University and the University of Michigan are also in the top-25 undergraduate listings, in the category for large colleges and universities. Michigan State University ranked third with 89 alumni volunteers, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor ranked fifth with 82 alumni volunteers. The University of Michigan is also in the report's top-five listing for the number of volunteers that it has produced historically, with a total of 2,276 since 1961.
The entire "Peace Corps Top Colleges" list can be found on the Peace Corps Web site at http://www.peacecorps.gov/multimedia/pdf/stats/schools2009.pdf


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|Quality Mobile Video
|Part Number
|1 Year
|Actuator load
|110 pounds
|Linear actuator speed
|.5 inch per second
|Linear actuator stroke
|4 inch
|Operation Voltage
|12 - 15 Volt DC
|Waterproof ingress protection
|IP65 - Dust tight; Water jets
|UPC Code
Have a question? Go ahead and ask anything. We are here to help.
Please login to ask a product question
©2003-2018 Mobile Electronics Display and Accessories Co., Inc.
Prices, specifications, and images are subject to change without notice.
Qualitymobilevideo.com is not responsible for typographical or illustrative errors.
All trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective trademark holders.


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lit up by dew
the spider's silk breathes
pearls and rainbows
© Xenia Tran
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend,
with love, Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
We are delighted that two haiku posted on this blog, Floating Swan and Sweet Starling, appear in EarthRise Rolling Haiku Collaboration 2018 – Year of the Bird. This publication is now available as a free download from the Haiku Foundation and we want to express a big thank you to the editors for putting this beautiful collection together.
Carpe Diem Spring Retreat 2018: The Light of the World
Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines
Daily Prompt: Notable


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|Keep It Simple, Stupid
comment on
|( #3333=superdoc: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
The documentation of Perl's reverse function states: "In scalar context, [the reverse function] ... returns a string value with all characters in the opposite order."
No. It doesn't know anything about Unicode and there's no requirement for the string to be Unicode text.
The documentation is quite clear: In scalar context, the reverse function operates on strings. If the string is Unicode, it reverses Unicode code points. If the string is in some single-byte character encoding such as ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1), then it reverses those characters. It's really very straightforward.
You're once again trying to make some esoteric point about the distinction between strings and bytes, and what is Unicode and what is not Unicode. But your peculiar, persistent point isn't relevant here.
Nothing in my post is incorrect or inaccurate, yet the supercilious tone of your response wrongly implies that something is incorrect. The topic of this discussion is Unicode text, so of course I'm talking about Unicode text in it.
In my experience, "character" is the constituent element of a string, and never a grapheme except by happenstance. Let's just say there is no such consensus.
What is a character in a language is well-understood and rarely, if ever, subject to debate. In the case of Unicode, "character" is well-defined, too: It's a "grapheme." It's as simple as that. Read the Unicode Standard.
There are four characters in the word "Café", not five. When you arrange the four characters in the opposite order, you get "éfaC". This fact is the very basis of this tutorial and discussion.
No. reverse provides a vital string operation. It should not assume the string is Unicode text.
Your insistence that there's a difference between "string" and "text" may have some strange basis in the arcane details of the internals of Perl, but it has no relevance to this discussion. The whole premise of this discussion is that we're trying to reverse Unicode strings (Unicode text). And the salient point about Perl's reverse function is that it fails to reverse properly an infinite number of possible Unicode strings.
Reversing text is also a useful function, but it is not provided by reverse.
This is a bizarre and incomprehensible statement.
What's the difference between a "string" and "text" to someone writing a Perl program?
Explain why you think this…
use utf8; binmode STDOUT, ':encoding(UTF-8)'; my $Moonshine = "Rươňu đêě"; my $enihsnooM = reverse $Moonshine; print "$Moonshine\n"; print "$enihsnooM\n";
…should produce different output than this…
use utf8; binmode STDOUT, ':encoding(UTF-8)'; my $Moonshine = "Rươňu đêě"; my $enihsnooM = join '', reverse $Moonshine =~ m/\X/g; print "$Moonshine\n"; print "$enihsnooM\n";
In reply to Re^3: How to reverse a (Unicode) string
by Jim


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JeeLab's Jean-Claude Wippler has been "rethinking the Arduino interface" since 2008, when he first attached an ISM band radio to a Modern Device Real Bare Bones Board. Three and a half years later he has built quite a library of sensors and breakout "plugs" for the JeeLabs Platform. The heart of the platform is the JeeNode (see below), which adds an inexpensive radio to an RBBB-style development board.
All of the pins of the Atmega328 are reorganized into four ports that have the same pinout: IRQ, Analog In, Regulated Power, GND, Digital In, Power In.
Sensor plugs can be small and all have the same interface; most communicate with the microcontroller using I2C (a common on-board option in a lot of sensor ICs). A set of Arduino libraries provides a consistent interface to the sensor plugs and the wireless module.
Jean Claude's blog is worth setting aside some time to dig into. The latest posts are about analyzing supercap discharge rates, but some of the previous 1000 odd posts include an Oscilloscope buyer's guide, the design process behind the various products, and lots of analysis of power usage of Atmega-based microcontroller projects.
JeeLabs will be represented at the 2012 Bay Area Maker Faire by his Stateside collaborator Modern Device.


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Renault Roadside Assist
Contact Roadside Assistance
Renault's 24/7 Roadside Assistance is a service we provide to every new Renault owner, all designed to provide you greater peace of mind.
Roadside Assistance can help in a variety of circumstances, here are just a few examples:
- Keys locked in the car
- Flat tyre or battery
- Run out of fuel
- Transport to nearest Renault dealership if vehicle is broken down and problem cannot be identified
If a problem occurs more than 100km from home and cannot be rectified in 24 hours, we'll arrange and pay for 2 night's accommodation. Alternatively we can arrange and pay to transport you and your passengers to your intended destination or home. Call 1800 009 008 and we'll provide the support you need.
That's why we offer you up to 4 years roadside assistance* when you service your vehicle with Renault for peace of mind.
*Complimentary 12 months 24/7 Roadside Assist when you purchase a Renault vehicle (balance of 12 months for demonstrator vehicles). Further complimentary 12 month periods of Roadside Assist will be given from the date of each scheduled maintenance service at a participating authorised Renault dealer within 4 years of purchase (within 4 years from registration for demonstrator vehicles) and at that time, any then existing complimentary Roadside Assist period ends. Roadside Assist coverage will continue where scheduled maintenance service is within 3 months of end of any complimentary 12 months Roadside Assist period. All complimentary Roadside Assist ceases 4 years after date of purchase (4 years after registration for demonstrator vehicles) regardless of when it commenced or how many scheduled services a customer has had within those 4 years.
Get Directions View On Map


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|In stock (1)
1. New and Improved Wonderline Coating — Our latest generation of Wonderline coating is 20% slicker than the previous generation, resulting in the slickest fly lines on the market. Casts farther with less effort, produces higher line speeds to cut through the wind and improve accuracy, repels dirt and grime, picks up off the water easier, improves floatation, and reduces tangles. An Orvis exclusive, patented process applied at our facility in Manchester, VT.
2. Orvis Line ID — Quickly and easily identify your line, no more guessing. All of our lines will be printed with the taper, weight, and functionality.
3. Enhanced Welded Loop — New sleek and durable welded loop makes leader attachment quick and easy while holding up to repeated use. Helps to transfer energy more efficiently to the leader allowing better turnover.
4. Core — Braided multifilament core provides excellent performance over a wide range of conditions.
5. Environmentally Responsible Packaging — Our new paper pulp spool, made from recycled cardboard and kraft paper, is 100% compostable and further enhances our commitment to protect our natural resources. In light yellow/brown. 90'. Line weights 4-8. Made in USA.


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The free, self-guided Farm Tour runs from from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. Participating farms are:
The free, self-guided Farm Tour runs from from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. Participating farms are:
Apple Ridge Farm, 1198 Pennel Road, Saylorsburg, a sustainable family farm with naturally grown produce, hydroponically grown produce, pasture-raised chickens and eggs, and a wood-fired brick oven for sourdough bread baking. appleridge.net
Big Creek Winery, 120 Keller Road, Kresgeville, which grows grapes and produces wines. The grape grower/wine maker will be available to answer questions about growing grapes in a challenging environment, and to discuss wine making. bigcreekvineyard.com.
Eagle Rest Tree Plantation, 7250 Cherry Valley Road, Stroudsburg, grows primarily Christmas trees. The owner will demonstrate tree shearing, mowing and herbicide application. facebook.com/roycefetherman.
Gould's Produce, 829 Frable Road, Brodheadsville, a fourth-generation family owned and operated farm. They raise crops and sell them at the farm store and the farmers markets in East Stroudsburg and Stroudsburg. There will be a discussion on their Community Supported Agriculture operation and a tour of the store. gouldsproduce.com
Josie Porter Farm, 6514 Cherry Valley Road, Stroudsburg, is a biodynamically managed vegetable farm. It is home to Cherry Valley Community Supported Agriculture and the Josie Porter Farm Buying Club. There will be farm tours and the store will be open. Penn State Extension Master Gardeners, who are establishing a learning garden on the farm, will discuss composting and beneficial bugs. cherryvalleycsa.com
Mountain View Vineyard, 5866 Neola Road, Stroudsburg, grows 1,700 vines of nine grape varieties and produces its own wine. The owner/winemaker will discuss the types of grapes that grow well in our zone. mountainviewvineyard.com
Paradise Brook Trout Co., 123 Hatchery Drive, Cresco, a fish farm that raises brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, golden trout and tiger trout. A for-fee fishing area is also on the property. Learn about fish hatchery management including biology, water chemistry and quality, and operation of the farm. bigbrownfish.com
Stryker Farm, 3045 Mountain Road, Saylorsburg, raises heritage breed pigs and meat goats humanely and naturally outdoors on pasture and forest land. Take a tour of the farm to learn about raising goats and pigs naturally. strykerfarm.com
Brochures and maps are available at mcconservation.org, participating farms, and from the tour organizers, the Monroe County Conservation District in Bartonsville and Penn State Cooperative Extension on Phillips Street in Stroudsburg. Reservations are not needed. For information call 570-629-3060.


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Pope Francis Ties Mass With Church Movements to First Pentecost
'Always carry the power of the Gospel!' the Holy Father encouraged May 19.
VATICAN CITY — St. Peter's Square was transformed into an open-air Upper Room, Pope Francis said after he celebrated Pentecost with Church movements.
"This celebration of faith is about to end, which began yesterday with the vigil and culminated this morning in the Eucharist."
"A renewed Pentecost that has transformed St. Peter's Square into an open-air Cenacle," Pope Francis said May 19 before reciting the Regina Coeli Marian prayer with around 200,000 pilgrims.
His brief reflection prior to the prayer recapped his main message for the Mass, which was that the Holy Spirit brings "newness, harmony and mission" to the lives of Christians.
He saw newness in the pilgrims reliving "the experience of the early Church, who agreed in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus."
The harmony inspired by the Holy Spirit was evident in the square, with the "variety of charisms" and the beauty of those being united in the Church.
Finally, Pope Francis thanked the communities and associations for the gift they are to the Church. He then urged them to focus on mission, the third aspect of the Spirit's work in Christians' lives.
"Always carry the power of the Gospel! Always have the joy and passion for communion in the Church," he urged. "The risen Lord is always with you, and the Madonna protects you!"


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Same-sex relationships pose abuse risks, too
(HealthDay)—Though many teens find it difficult to talk about dating violence or abuse, the shroud of secrecy may be even harder to get through for same-sex couples.
New York resident Sheila Rodriguez, 26, was just 13 years old when she started dating another girl in her school. She said it was about a year before the relationship took a decidedly nasty turn.
"At first, it was all verbal abuse—putting each other down and name calling," Rodriguez recalled. "We made each other mentally dependent on one another so that neither of us could find someone better."
Then things escalated. "The name-calling led to pushing, shoving, grabbing and eventually, at its worst, scratching, slapping and choking," she said.
Both girls were guilty of abusing the other. "Sadly, it never really occurred to me that this was wrong," Rodriguez said. "And, if it did for her, she never said so out loud."
Rodriguez said they would come up with excuses for the physical evidence left on them, like saying that bruises were from gym class or that scratches were from the sharp edges of a locker or the family dog. But, she said, few really questioned the marks on them. The other girl's mother did ask but apparently was satisfied with the given explanation, she said.
"Throughout the relationship, the only way we discussed the violence was how to cover it up," Rodriguez said. "It was a very 'us against the world' relationship that no one would understand—we thought. We didn't want to be kept apart or get in trouble. It was our first real relationship, and it's almost like we didn't know anything different."
She said she's sure that if she had been dating a young man, her parents and others would have raised concerns, but because she was with a girl, no one suspected that violence could be an issue. The situation even blinded both girls to their dysfunctional relationship, she added.
Their final argument, which happened five years after they started dating, was the first time they discussed "stopping the behavior," Rodriguez said. "After swings and blows and each other threatening to call the cops on the other, you sort of sit there out of breath, like, how did we get here?"
Rodriguez said this was the only relationship she's been in where she experienced violence. She said she's learned to walk away if tensions in other relationships escalate to the point where she feels uneasy.
Her advice to others who might find themselves in a similar situation? "No matter what type of relationship you are in, no one deserves to be verbally or physically abused," Rodriguez said. "The very first hit in a relationship to me makes it a matter of time before it ends. A trust is broken and you never truly feel safe. Trust the voice in the back of your mind, and love yourself enough to make a change if necessary."
Explore further
Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


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Judas tree, redbud
Cercis siliquastrum
Trees and Shrubs, Bonsai
Grow from seed surface sown in fall after pods have ripened and dried, or nick seedcoat then stratify 3 months and sow in spring. Light aids germination. Good light, alkaline and sandy, well-drained soil preferred. Note that named cultivars will not come true from seed; these may be bud-grafted late in summer. Zone 6-9
Cercis canadensis, or Eastern redbud hardy into zone 4, treated in the same manner, does well in most well-drained soils, sun to part shade
Related Topics
Cleft or Wedge Grafting
|Copyright © 2020,
All rights reserved


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What slump? County assessments spike 15%
There's talk of a real estate slump, or at least a cooling, but no chill will be found in County mailboxes this week when Albemarle County mails out real estate assessment notices. After several years of double-digit increases, the average property value has spiked another 14.9 percent in just the past year.
That's a two-year jump averaging 27 percent, according to a release from County spokesperson Lee Catlin, who notes that reassessments in Albemarle will happen on an annual basis beginning next year, so property owners will receive their next reassessment from assessor Bruce Woodzell in January 2008.
"An annual process will allow county assessors to react more quickly to changes in the real estate market and to reflect those changes in reassessments of individual properties," says Catlin. Many owners, no doubt, are hoping assessors can move quickly to document a value retreat!
Some history: the City of Charlottesville saw a 23 percent jump in 2003 and 17 percent in 2005, even in the formerly blue-collar Belmont neighborhood, where assessments skyrocketed around 35 percent in 2003. In 2004, North Belmont shot up 40 percent! Albemarle was more steady with an overal 18.7 percent jump in 2003 and 27 percent in 2005, but those are Albemarle two-year combo jumps.
Below, the average annual increases by magisterial district (with two-year jumps in parentheses):
*Rio 13.57 % (27.14 %)
*Jack Jouett 11.27 % (22.54 %)
*Rivanna 14.98 % (29.96 %)
*Samuel Miller 15.64 % (31.28 %)
*Scottsville 15.54 % (31.08 %)
*White Hall 16.72 % (33.44 %)
*Town of Scottsville 15.93 % (31.87 %)
Other jurisdictions:
• Greene County 24%
• Fluvanna County 21%
• Charlottesville City 13 – 15% (prelim.)
• Orange County 25%
• Augusta County 8% (January 2005)


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4790 W. 16th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222
(800) 822-4639 (317) 492-6700 Mon-Fri, 9a.m.-5p.m. ET
Jul 5, 2020
March 21, 2012 | By Tom Jensen - SPEED
Courtesy of Speed.com
In a stunning reversal of fortune, NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook today overturned the critical portions of NASCAR penalties levied against the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team for modified C-posts discovered during pre-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500.
The means Jimmie Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, and car chief, Ron Malec, will not face six-week suspensions and Johnson will not lose 25 points. In Knaus' case, the $100,000 fine still stands, the only part of the penalty left intact.
Asked why the ruling was overturned, NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said, "I'm sure the chief appellate officer has his reasons for doing that. He heard both sides. It's his prerogative to make those types of decisions and that's part of the process. ... The NASCAR rulebook provides for this process in our sport and we believe in our rulebook."
The ruling was a huge victory for Hendrick Motorsports in its second and final appeal. Last week, the National Stock Car Racing Commission denied the first appeal and today was Hendrick's last chance, and the final appeal paid big dividends.
Instantly, Johnson moves from 17th to 11th in points, and his team will not be without its two top leaders, which would have been a significant loss over the next six races.
NASCAR officials said the last time a points penalty was overturned on appeal in the Sprint Cup Series came in October 2005, when Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Inc. were fined driver and owner points after Waltrip made an "inappropriate gesture by the driver during a televised broadcast."
Today's ruling dwarfs those from 2005, however.
Team owner Rick Hendrick and Knaus both said that the team provided Middlebrook with extensive documentation that the No. 48, as configured at Daytona, already had passed inspection and raced at all four restrictor-plate races in 2011 and had passed inspection again at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C. in January 2012.
Middlebrook was not available for comment.
"I'm glad this is over," said Hendrick. "It's been a long 30 days, I guess. I appreciate the fact that we had the opportunity to present all the facts. I'm happy with the outcome to see the points reinstated and Chad reinstated and our other guys, too. I would have liked to have the fine gone, too, because I think there was no reason for any kind of penalty."
Hendrick was adamant about the legality of the car.
"I felt from the very beginning that we were clearly by the rulebook, within the guidelines, and the car had been seen multiple times, and raced everywhere we raced in 2011," said Hendrick. "... I believe so hard and so much in the facts."
The main fact, in this case, apparently was that the car, as it was presented prior to Daytona 500 qualifying, was signed off on multiple times.
"I don't know how, looking at the rulebook, if an official says the car is right, the car is right," said Hendrick. "The car goes through the (NASCAR) Tech Center and it passes, it passes. If we have a signed affidavit that says it hasn't been touched, it hasn't been touched. So, what's the issue?"
The original penalty ruling was that the No. 48 car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event); and 20-2.1E (if in the judgment of NASCAR officials, any part or component of the car not previously approved by NASCAR that has been installed or modified to enhance aerodynamic performance will not be permitted – unapproved car body modifications).
Knaus and Malec originally were each suspended for six Sprint Cup races and Knaus was fined $100,000.
Johnson and car owner Jeff Gordon were penalized with the loss of 25 driver and 25 owner points, respectively.
But those penalties are now history and the team will face no sanctions other than the Knaus fine.
"Nobody enjoys this," said Hendrick. "I think today, by taking the time and going piece by piece, date by date, you can see that there's no ill-intent on our part. We were clearly, I felt like — by the rulebook, we were clearly approved."


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Stefan Lano
Upon completion of studies in composition at Oberlin Conservatory, and biology at Oberlin College, Stefan Lano was a Graduate Fellow in Composition at Harvard University from which he holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Awarded a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service, he further studied composition and conducting in Berlin before beginning his professional career at the opera in Graz, Austria. An accomplished pianist, he was appointed to the Music Staff of the Vienna State Opera in 1982.
A strong believer in the German tradition of conductor formation, it was only after years of having prepared many productions as opera pianist that the notion of pursuing a career as conductor gradually materialized. Following a tenure as Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony, he made his conducting debut in Aachen in a critically acclaimed production of Alban Bergs' Lulu. In the ensuing seasons, contracts in Germany and then, internationally, accrued. Principal among these was his engagement in 1993 to conduct the first South American production of the three-act version of Lulu at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. A version praised by the Argentine press as one of the most significant in the history of the theater, he established a collaboration with and affection for the Teatro Colón which continues to this day. The Argentine Association of Music Critics cited him as Best Foreign Conductor for his renditions of Korngoldʻs Die tote Stadt and Richard Straussʻ Salome in 1999. In 2005, at the behest of the Teatro Colón Resident Orchestra, he was named Music Director, subsequently conducting the first international tour to Mexico City presenting Puccini's Turandot; national tours performing Verdi's Requiem; and a renowned rendition of Gustav Mahler's Symphony N° 2 for the thirty year commemoration of the victims of Argentina's military junta.
In the United States, Stefan Lano has conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera and at the theaters of Detroit, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The renown gained for the clarity and expressivity of his renditions of twentieth century opera led to an invitation to conduct concert performances of Alban Bergs' Wozzeck with the Montréal Symphony for which he was cited with an OPUS Award for Best Concert of the Season in 2002. His reengagement for the following season to conduct Rousselʻs Bacchus et Ariane and Bartokʻs Bluebeardʻs Castle resulted in a second consecutive OPUS Award.
In November of 2009, he made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the American Composers Orchestra in a program of first performances by American composers. As for his own compositions, it was thanks to the invitation from Music Director Juozas Domarkas that he was to conduct the premiere of his Sinfonie N° 3 with the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004.
A regular guest at the Dresden State Opera since 2007, he conducted a universally acclaimed rendition of Hans Werner Henzeʻs LʻUpupa in 2009 as well as the Dresden productions of Moussorgsky's Boris Godunov and Jake Heggies' Dead Man Walking.
As of 2012, he has been appointed Music Director of the Teatro SODRE in Montevideo, Uruguay and of the Mendoza Symphony Orchestra in Mendoza, Argentina. He will return to the Teatro Argentino conducting the Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky together with Richard Strauss' Eine Alpensymphonie.
In February of 2013, he conducts a new production of Tristan und Isolde at the Göteborg Opera in Sweden.


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David Proffitt, the embattled director of the crisis-ridden Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter, was fired Tuesday by state officials, who cited his inability to communicate with his staff.
"He was unable to build the level of trust with staff needed to foster the environment necessary for the very significant changes that need to occur," said Anne Barry, assistant commissioner of the Department of Human Services. "It's no surprise that there is real disappointment. David had high hopes and dreams of what he could do at the facility."
Barry said that DHS Commissioner Lucinda Jesson ordered the dismissal just seven months after she had hired Proffitt to institute reforms at the hospital that cares for nearly 400 of the state's most dangerous and mentally ill patients.
Proffitt reportedly will work as a consultant to the agency for several months while he decides on his next move. He could not be reached for comment.
Proffitt's confrontational style contributed to the resignations or firings of six psychiatrists since he was hired in September, DHS officials said. His ineffective communication skills, in the end, crippled his ability to carry out a mission that included more training and less use of restraints and seclusion to control dangerous patients, they said. Hospital staffers resented what they said was his second-guessing their decisions about patient care -- heightened several months ago when he fired a psychiatrist and nurse over their allegedly forcing a violent man into seclusion after he reportedly threatened to kill the nurse.
In January, hospital psychiatrists and nurses filed formal complaints with the department alleging that Proffitt had yelled, pounded his fists in anger and made inappropriate sexual remarks contributing to a hostile work environment.
Jesson hired a Minneapolis law firm to investigate. Its report, released Tuesday, did not substantiate the accusations.
Even so, Barry said, "enough concerns have been raised, and given the urgency with which change must be accomplished, we believe it is in the best interests of Minnesota Security Hospital and the patients we serve to change leadership."
In January, a yearlong licensing investigation uncovered maltreatment of two patients at the hospital.
One man, believed to be hiding a weapon in his mattress, was secluded and forced to sleep on a concrete slab for 25 nights in 2010, long before Proffitt's arrival. As a result, Jesson ordered the hospital's license be put on conditional status and she also fined the hospital $2,000 -- the maximum under state law. She also directed Barry to spend at least one day a week in St. Peter to help bridge the operational divide between Proffitt and the staff.
When that investigation began, Proffitt said in an interview that he did not believe his style interfered with his ability to run the hospital. "This is what I find in life: Reality is perception, and I strive to be principle-centered, transparent," he said at the time.
Barry said that Proffitt has been replaced by Carol Olson, who was administrator of the Community Behavioral Health Hospitals in Rochester and St. Peter. She has more than 25 years experience in adult mental health services. Dr. Steven Pratt will be the hospital's medical director. Barry said they will have to rebuild the psychiatric staff, hiring at least three doctors and possibly more clinical nurses.
Rocky start
Soon after his arrival last fall from a hospital post in Maine, Proffitt found himself at odds with various groups who, in interviews with the Star Tribune, said he lacked a clear vision of how to turn around a hospital described in an internal report as unsafe, unaccountable and dysfunctional.
That report, obtained by the Star Tribune last year, said regulators found a "pattern" of willful violations by staff and administrators who were incapable of changing the culture.
Proffitt also fell under suspicion from staff who questioned his management skills. While in Maine, Proffitt directed a private hospital that was fined more than $11,000 by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for unsafe conditions and failure to document more than 75 staff injuries by violent patients.
Further, Jesson's top staff did not thoroughly vet Proffitt's background before he was hired. The commissioner admitted in an interview that she learned of the federal investigation only after receiving an internal e-mail linked to a Maine newspaper story.
Assistant Commissioner Maureen O'Connell, who oversees the state's mental health and chemical dependency services, acknowledged in an interview in September that she withheld information about Proffitt's controversial background. She said that at the time she didn't think it was important information. In retrospect, she said, it was a mistake to not inform Jesson.
Despite admitting she was troubled by the reports and ordering that Proffitt's references be double-checked, Jesson said she still thought he was the right person for the job.
The governor's visit
Jesson's frustration over the deteriorating situation led Gov. Mark Dayton to tour the facility with her last month. He met with Proffitt, medical staff, psychologists, social workers and security counselors.
Dayton said in an interview that he came away with a sense that "there is a crisis of patient abuse" at the hospital due to a lack of training and confusion over use of restraints and seclusion. He said he would leave Proffitt's future to Jesson.
Barry said that despite the upheaval, she believes the hospital's culture can be changed quickly because the staffers see that administrators trying to work with closely with them. "Change happens when people trust the people who are leading that change," Barry said.
Paul McEnroe • 612-673-1745


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God has given us the church not just to reach out to the world but also to help us as Christians survive life. Life can sometimes be hard, we often need help and all it takes is for one or two to walk alongside us and it can make all the difference. This short series will explore how we can be better at helping each other as the church family. We will explore what it should really mean to be a part of a church community – how to be a true friend, how to help each other when things go wrong and what forgiveness is and isn't. We begin by looking at God's desire for the church to be a loving, diverse community. We should celebrate the diversity of High Kirk as a great strength.
Click here for the Study 5 notes.
Click here for the Study 5 Leaders notes.
Click here for the Sermon series.


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Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria
A Brief Biography of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III
His Holiness was born on August 3, 1923 in the city of Asuit in Upper Egypt; he was given the name of Nazir Gayed. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1947 from the University of Cairo. Mr. Gayed was very active in his church and served as a Sunday School teacher, first at Saint Anthony's Church in Shobra and then at Saint Mary's Church in Mahmasha. He worked as a high school English and Social Studies teacher in Cairo by day, and attended classes at the Coptic Theological Seminary by night. Upon graduation from the seminary in 1949, he was chosen to teach New Testament Studies. He was appointed in 1953 as a teacher in the Monastic School.
From his youth, His Holiness enjoyed writing very much, especially poems; he is a remarkably literate man as evidenced by the over 100 books that have been written by him. For many years, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Sunday School Magazine. At the same time, he followed his post-graduate studies at the Seminary of Archeology.
On July 18, 1954, Mr. Gayed was led to the monastic life at "El-Suryan" Monastery in the western desert of Egypt; he was given the name of Father Antonyos El-Suryaani. For six years, from 1956 to 1962, he lived a life of solitude in a cave about seven miles away from the monastery, dedicating all his time to meditation, prayer, and asceticism.
In 1962, he was ordained by the late Pope Cyril VI as Bishop of Ecclesiastical (Religious) Education and was named President of the Coptic Theological Seminary; he was given the name of Bishop Shenouda on September 30, 1962. Continuing from his literary past, Bishop Shenouda published the first issue of "El-Keraza" magazine in Arabic in 1965, and remains the Editor-in-Chief to this day.
On November 14, 1971, His Holiness was enthroned as Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope of Alexandria, and successor of the see of St. Mark.
Early Life
His Holiness Pope Shenouda II was born the youngest of eight children on August 3, 1923 in the Upper Egyptian province of Assyut, and was named Nazeer Gayed. By the age of sixteen, Nazeer began service in the Sunday School of St. Anthony's Church in Shobra, Cairo, where he also went to school.
In 1943, Nazeer entered the University of Cairo and completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and History while he spent his summer vacations at the Monastery of St. Mary (Souryan). Although at this time only graduate students were admitted to the evening classes at the Coptic Theological Seminary, Dean Archdeacon Habib Guirguis admitted Nazeer while he was still in his final year of undergraduate study.
After graduation from the University of Cairo in 1947, Nazeer completed his military service and began work as a teacher of English and History. Meanwhile, he completed his Bachelor of Theology and the Dean appointed him as lecturer in the Old and New Testaments. In 1950 Nazeer resigned from his secular employment to take a full-time lecturing position. In 1953, he was appointed a lecturer at the Monastic College in Helwan.
Nazeer and other servants labored for several years to establish a strong Sunday School and youth group at St. Anthony's Church in Shobra. his service produced hundreds of devoted servants who began establishing youth groups in neighboring parishes.
Monastic Life
The road to monasticism was a natural consequence of the desire from his early years to consecrate his life to Christ. "...I found in monasticism," Pope Shenouda once said, "a life of complete freedom and clarification." he joined the Souryan Monastery in Wadi El-Natroun and, a year later, he was ordained a priest, taking the name Fr. Antonyos (Anthony) El-Souryani. In 1959, His Holiness Pope Kyrillos VI appointed Fr. Antonyos as his personal secretary.
On September 30, 1962, Pope Kyrillos VI ordained Fr. Antonyos as Bishop Shenouda, the first bishop for Christian Education. He became the President and Dean of the Theological Seminary, and by late 1969 the enrollment of full-time students doubled and the enrollment of part-time students increased 10 times its original number. Under his presidency, women were admitted to the College and several were appointed lecturers. His Grace's efforts were recognized in 1969 when he was elected President of the Association of Middle East Theological Colleges.
Enthronement as Pope of Alexandria
On March 9, 1971, His Holiness Pope Kyrillos (Cyril) VI departed in peace. The Holy Synod met on March 22 to plan for the election of the new Patriarch. Among the final three candidates was Bishop Shenouda. On October 31, 1971, the altar ballot was conducted during the Pix/Dividers/divine Liturgy on the Feast of Saint Reweis. At the end of the Liturgy, His Eminence Metropolitan Antonyos, laid his hands on a young boy who was then blindfolded and told to choose one of the three pieces of paper from the box. The ballot box had been taken from the altar and placed on an elevated table. As the congregation prayed the Lord's Prayer and the words "Lord Have Mercy," the boy chose one of the pieces of paper and gave it to Metropolitan Antonyos, who then joyfully declared God's chosen shepherd for His church as His Grace Bishop Shenouda, Bishop of Education.
On November 14, 1971, in Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III was enthroned as 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of Saint Mark. His Holiness became the first patriarch of Alexandria since the fifth century to have been Dean of the Theological Seminary. He continues to lecture at the branches of the Seminary in Cairo, Alexandria, and abroad and at the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies. To meet the expanding ministry of Christian education, His Holiness established other branches of the seminary in Egypt, as well as three graduate institues: Biblical Studies, Hymnology, and Coptic Language. On November 29, 1993, he officially opened the Institute of Pastoral Care. For his erudition in theology and scripture, His Holiness has been awarded four honorary Doctoral Degrees in Theology, three from American Universities and one from a German University.
His Holiness' edifying and spiritually uplifting sermons have won international acclaim; in 1978 the Browning Institute awarded him the prize for the best Christian preacher in the world. His Holiness is also the author of more than eighty books on a variety of subjects, and over the past 20 years, he has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Church's official magazine, EL-KERAZA.
Pastoral Activities
His Holiness ordained more than seventy bishops, established general bishoprics, including the first Bishopric of Youth, more than four hundred priests, and countless deacons for Cairo, Alexandra and the Churches abroad. This extended the pastoral care to every city, village and family all over the See of St. Mark. His Holiness continually holds meetings and seminars with the clergy to discuss any pastoral problems or needs.
His Holiness also gives special attention to the service of women in the Coptic Orthodox Church. "We felt a great need of the work of women and we wanted women to have a certain order and service in the Church, not only to have girls as Sunday School teachers who give a part of their time whenever they can, but we want girls and women to give their whole life to God and serve the church." His Holiness says.
Despite his many responsibilities, His Holiness usually manages to spend three days a week in the monastery. His love of monasticism has led to a monastic revival in the Coptic Church. He has ordained hundreds of monks and nuns and renovated and reestablished many monasteries and convents. He is the first Pope to establish Coptic monasteries outside of Egypt, which presently number eight.
As a Bishop for Christian Education, His Grace has overseen the education of Sunday School Curriculum, and during his papacy, has continued to hold meetings for Sunday School teachers to establish a Sunday School curriculum for the churches abroad.
The Exile and Efforts of National Unity
During the early years of his enthronement, His Holiness Pope Shenouda had an amicable relationship with the late Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat. However, during his presidency, violent Islamic fundamentalist groups increased all over Egypt, especially in the Universities. They started to attack the Copts, vandalize their businesses, and burn their churches, which led Pope Shenouda to protest to the government against this repeated violence. Sadat reacted by issuing a presidential decree to exile His Holiness to the Monastery of St. Bishoy, imprison eight bishops, twenty-four priest, leading Coptic lay figures, and ban "El-Keraza


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SuperWang wrote:Are there games still being played?
No they're finished. I'm updating this later today.
Moderator: Tournament Directors
SuperWang wrote:Are there games still being played?
lagger-no-1 wrote:As non of us are shining examles of how to play CC ( We've lost every round so far ) I would imagine this comes down to personality, and how we are percieved by others.
This said, can anybody using the handle "drunken idiot" be taken seriously, when vying for such a coveted title.
A drunk in the board room ?
An idiot on the board ??
When does the next round start Boss ?
lagger-no-1 wrote:1. Who do you think should be fired? [and why?]
I like playing alongside both Drunk_Idiot and Killerkern. As I have to choose one to be fired I'll go with Killerkern, purely because he didn't fill in questionair for this round, which in the spirit of the game, should be a must.
2. Why do you think that you should stay over the other two?
Because both have had a go at being P.M, AND BOTH LOST THEIR ROUNDS (sorry got carried away there)
I'd like a chance to create a winning round for our team !
SuperWang wrote:Hi, this is getting a little confusing...
Could someone post a list of the remaining players on each team?
lagger-no-1 wrote:ditto !
Game Type: Quads
Play Order: Sequential
Map: D-Day Omaha Beach
Cards: No Cards]
Forts: Adjacent
Weather: Sunny
Glenghis wrote:Still waiting for risk-yall100-0 to join Team 2.
Glenghis wrote:Where did the game go???
lagger-no-1 wrote:Glenghis wrote:Where did the game go???
More to the point, have the other team forfieted the round for not fielding a team ?
Users browsing this forum: No registered users


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John Roderick's blog
Top 10 Reasons I Hate Year-End Top-10 ListsSubmitted by John Roderick on December 28, 2010 - 1:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
1. Ranking things in order of how much you like them is a coping strategy of 9-year-old girls. I know people like to make top-10 lists because they're fun and easy, and people like to read them for the same reason, but that's Entertainment Tonight reasoning. Year-end top-10 lists are the unicorn stickers and glitter pens of music writing.
2. The concept of "best" is the enemy of individuality. I loved Dave Bazan's record and I loved Portugal. The Man's record. If I wanted to, I could put one on top of the other, but why bother? It's the same as saying "I like this one record, but I would have liked it better if it sounded more like this other record." Ranking things automatically presumes that the top-ranked thing is what everything else should aspire to be, and that's not how we listen to music.
What Phil Spector's Candor Says About the Standard, Sanitized Version of Rock HistorySubmitted by John Roderick on December 14, 2010 - 1:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
I recently saw The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, a documentary about the great producer, at the Northwest Film Forum. Filmed right before Spector's (first) murder trial in 2007 for the death of Lana Clarkson (a crime for which he was eventually convicted in 2009), it's basically a long and fawning interview with Spector about the highlights of his music career, never addressing the night of her shooting and only barely referencing the upcoming trial.
For Would-Be Rockers, the Only Music School You Need Is Tuition-FreeSubmitted by John Roderick on November 30, 2010 - 1:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
There are times when the best advice I can give an aspiring musician is to drop out of school immediately. I loved college myself, and I highly recommend it as a mind-broadening experience and an opportunity to squander your parents' money, but I can think of nothing less helpful to pursuing a career in music.
Fortune favors the bold, in rock music more than in any pursuit besides jazz dance and the Special Forces, and artistic inspiration is not something to take for granted or lump in with other more prosaic life goals. If you're writing songs and want to play your music for people and make records, it's not like applying for a job at a law firm--no experience is necessary. The music and technical programs offered by universities and art schools are great places to learn jazz chops, study orchestral music, or learn technical skills to work in broadcasting and television, but to be a rock singer, producer, manager, or booking agent, you need to get down on the street and start living it.
Chucked Profit: Benefit Shows Can Be Bad BusinessSubmitted by John Roderick on November 23, 2010 - 1:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
Benefit concerts are a big part of a musician's life. The idea of staging such a show seems noble but still edgy, which is why so many people with a good cause in mind think, "A-ha! We'll throw a benefit concert!" After all, what kind of tight-fisted and cynical performer wouldn't want to play for a worthy cause?
Successful bands--ones who don't have to work a day job to make ends meet--get asked to play several benefit shows a year, and in the end it's impossible to honor even a fraction of the requests. Yet saying "no thanks" to a benefit concert can be difficult and awkward. When you're starting out, you probably say yes to every request, but you learn to be selective. It doesn't take long to realize that despite the best of intentions, benefit shows are often ill-conceived, poorly promoted and disastrously run.
What's the Headline? Journalists Aren't the Only Ones Who Constantly Contend with This QuestionSubmitted by John Roderick on November 16, 2010 - 1:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
"Who is the headliner?" is a question that lurks at the heart of the music business, one that booking agents and managers are hired to answer, or at least to fight over until no one is happy. Every artist, even the ones you might assume have graduated beyond ever having to think about such a consideration, will face the issue the same way again and again.
Most audience members never consider this question. Small bands open for big bands, duh. But bands seldom fall neatly into categories of success. More often than not, at least one of the opening bands on a typical bill could be headlining the show themselves. Or maybe none of the bands is big enough, but together they can sell tickets. A tour or concert lineup can be a self-reinforcing projection: The band that headlines is presumed to be of headlining status. More than a few careers have been made this way. It's a never-endingly fascinating game to look at concert lineups and try to discern their underlying logic. Some bills are made in heaven, and some are disasters from the start.
Seattleites Play Songs; They Just Play Their InstrumentsSubmitted by John Roderick on November 9, 2010 - 1:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
On a Sunday night off in Nashville a few years back, my bandmates and I took a field trip down to the Station Inn, a legendary roadhouse and country-music venue, to check out the Bluegrass Jam night. You might think a Bluegrass Jam would be a little outside our normal recreational ken, and you'd be right, but we like to experience foreign cultures while we're on tour, and besides, there was no cover charge.
We arrived to find that we were practically the only audience; everyone else had brought instruments and come to play. This was Nashville - some of these folks were session players and well-known gunslingers - but there were quite a few guys and gals in dusty overalls who seemed to have just arrived from the pages of The Grapes of Wrath.
Myths About Drugs and Booze In the Creative Process Have Been Perpetuated By People Who Should Know BetterSubmitted by John Roderick on November 2, 2010 - 12:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
Let's be honest: Drinking alcohol and taking drugs is fun. Unfortunately, in America there's a culturally ingrained fear of mentioning this obvious fact, and that obscures and garbles every attempt at rational conversation on the topic. Drug advocates are forced into the posture of arguing that marijuana is some kind of anti-anxiety and glaucoma medicine. Drinking and recreational drug use are only referred to in the national press in terms of a public-health crisis. This hysteria around the topic of getting high--the equating of all drug use with addiction and abuse--is one of the primary sources of the credibility gap that divides what we call "alternative" culture from "mainstream" culture.
Within the music community, getting high is a kind of shorthand for all the ways we're different from the high-collared moralizers on the other side of the cultural wall. The fact that drugs and alcohol are openly consumed and freely discussed within the music scene contributes to musicians' sense of themselves as more liberated, more honest. Still, the fact that drugs are a taboo subject in the culture at large imbues them with a false mystique even among people who should know better.
Seattle's 4 Most Conspicuous Rock CrowdsSubmitted by John Roderick on October 26, 2010 - 12:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
Going out to a rock concert in Seattle can often feel like a foreign-exchange program. I'm not talking about the musicians, but about the concertgoers from Seattle's other walks of life whom you might not otherwise encounter.
Depending on the show, the audience might be a much livelier mix of people than the acts they paid to see. Although most of the audience won't stand out as particularly distinctive, being clad in virtually identical fleece pullovers, certain subgroups bear mentioning.
Here's a rough guide to some of the people you might encounter at a show:
Superfans: They Love You First. They Book You Shows. It Gets ComplicatedSubmitted by John Roderick on October 19, 2010 - 12:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
I got a letter the other day from a friend and self-professed "superfan" asking my advice in navigating some indie-rock politics. A local band that she loved dearly was being courted by major labels, and though she was thrilled for them, the band appeared to be letting it "go to their heads." She was upset not just because no one likes to see a young band develop an attitude, but because she felt she'd done a lot of work on their behalf and was being taken for granted. It got me thinking about all the hard work that superfans do on behalf of bands, but also of the pitfalls of the inevitable superfan disappointment that follows. I've been on both sides of the coin.
How Seattle Leaders Support KEXP's Move Will Say A Lot About the City They Envision It to BeSubmitted by John Roderick on October 12, 2010 - 12:00am
Originally published in Seattle Weekly
It looks by now that the redevelopment of the Fun Forest at the Seattle Center will not include a new facility for KEXP. The citizens' panel charged with making the recommendation chose the Dale Chihuly Ashtray and Candy-Dish Museum and Gift Shop instead, and rightfully so. As tempting as it might be for fans of KEXP to envision an "Indie-Rock Fun Forest" where Cloud Cult and Okkervil River play free concerts for girls with pink stripes in their hair, one quick look around that part of Seattle Center will reveal it to be a ludicrous fantasy. That area was long ago set aside for super-rich guys to build underfunded temples celebrating their questionable taste. The average person visiting the Space Needle on a summer day probably rode there on the Duck and is wearing a foam hat shaped like an orca. No one in that crowd is yearning to hear a Joanna Newsom in-studio.


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So I survived yet another surgery on my girl parts yesterday, thanks to my friend versed. It went well in that I got through it with very little pain, though I still felt foggy for most of the day today.
Here's what didn't go so well: She got only 70 percent of the adhesions. Apparently they can't stay in there all day long once they start (something about fluid absorption reaching a limit), so since my ute was in worse shape than anticipated, she ran out of time at 70 percent. For the math challenged out there, that leaves 30 percent to get out. Which means that I? Was so right in hoping to avoid a c-section in the first place (not that I had much control, in the end). I'll be headed back into the OR after a month on estrace followed by two weeks on provera and an in-office hysteroscopy.
The other thing I learned is that the worse the adhesions are, the greater the risk of placenta complications during pregnancy, like placenta previa (which I had with H) and placenta accreta, the scary condition in which the placenta burrows too deeply into the uterus, sometimes requiring hysterectomy during childbirth.
My doctor still thinks my Asherman's case is only a "3" on a scale of 1-10, and remains quite optimistic about my chances of conceiving again (though she said the scarring had affected at least one of my tubes, which further diminishes any minuscule chance of it happening au naturale).
Am I optimistic? I guess you could say I'm cautiously optimistic. I hope to give H a sibling, which is why I'm going down this path again (and it turns out to be a good thing I'm starting now). I know I would not be content to simply watch my 30s slip away without at least giving it a shot.
But in the meantime, what I am is 100% determined not to let this -- infertility, Asherman's, bad luck -- get in the way of my enjoying H's babyhood. It seems to me that it's easy enough on a normal day to let the moments pass without notice. Add the time and emotional drain that is infertility treatment and it becomes even easier. It would be the ultimate sad irony to sacrifice the sweetest moments with baby #1 in pursuit of baby #2. And it just won't happen.
It won't happen in part because no matter what the answer is this time -- another baby or not -- there is a baby boy upstairs, right now, who already made me a mother. And I owe it to myself, to my son and to every single woman out there still in the fight for motherhood to fully appreciate what I have without pining away for more, or at least without letting that longing overcome the joy.
And so, now back to my regularly scheduled life as a mother.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
To Have and Have Not
So I survived yet another surgery on my girl parts yesterday, thanks to my friend versed. It went well in that I got through it with very little pain, though I still felt foggy for most of the day today.
Posted by Good Egg Hatched at 5:24 PM 6 comments Links to this post
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Good Fight
Went in for obligatory pre-surgery blood work today -- they need to make sure I'm hcg-free before going in to fix my ute tomorrow, because there's nothing like an infertile girl on the Pill to stir up a pregnancy scare.
Actually, these days I prefer to think of myself as fertile until proven otherwise. I'm sticking to it.
Anyway, while I was in my RE's waiting room, in walked this cute, 30-something couple: she very perky and he cooler than a cucumber. They were either totally new to the process or putting on a very believable, synchronized brave face. They were chatting up a storm about things that seemed quite strategically apropos of nothing. What I wanted to do -- and it actually felt difficult to restrain myself -- was go over, give them a hug and tell them this: Keep fighting.
Keep fighting, because what's at the end? Is so worth it.
Keep fighting, because the warmth of a newborn's breath in the crook of your neck is all that you imagine it will be.
Keep fighting, because when this process isn't breaking you, it's stirring up exactly the amount of strength you need to continue.
Keep fighting, because when you are playing with your baby and he looks right in your eyes and laughs an unrestrained belly laugh that sounds like pure joy just sailed right into your living room, this moment -- whatever you're dealing with today -- will seem very, very far away.
That's why I'm crazy enough to think about doing it again. Starting tomorrow.
Posted by Good Egg Hatched at 2:33 PM 6 comments Links to this post
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Down the Hatch
Because I have been completely lame about blogging from the moment I set foot in the hospital to give birth, and have failed to provide the kind of day-to-day updates I'd intended (or solicit smart advice from readers that could have saved some of the time I seem to woefully lack) I am now forced to summarize important topics like eating over the past eight months (baby H turned eight months on Saturday -- can you believe it?). Because that's what happens when you don't record everything.
So here goes. Eating. H started out as a great eater. He immediately got the whole thing, and our nursing challenges were never about intent or latching or any of that (issues were always supply meeting demand). We began supplementing with formula right in the hospital since his body weight dropped from the initial 8 lbs 9 oz to below 10 percent of that (I'll leave that math to people more equipped to handle it). After some trial and error we settled on Good Start Gentle Plus formula, which has been great for H as a supplement and then the sole milk product. Really no problems with it other than chronic spitup, which I really think is about him more than the formula, and has improved significantly over the past month or two.
Everything was pretty much chugging along (literally) until H started teething. He got his first two bottom teeth at the age of four months, and then in late August/September all four top teeth started coming in at once (actually, first the fangs started coming in alone, which was kind of hilarious looking -- but then the middle two filled in quickly). This seemed to impact his appetite, so between that and his propensity for easy distraction while eating, it seemed impossible to get any nutrition in him for a while.
We started solids (rice cereal -- Happy Bellies organic brown rice, to be exact) at four months, but we went probably more slowly than we should with introducing new foods -- so only at six months did we really start getting into it with him, offering a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. I guess was hesitant simply because there seemed to be so many different and conflicting points of view on the right approach (including within our single pediatrics practice, which provides two conflicting handouts for each age range on its website) that my brain kind of shut down as it does in situations of information overload. I was afraid of giving him the wrong thing.
Over the past month, though, we've really stepped it up and have introduced finger foods (which he really gets, thanks to all those teeth) in addition to a wide range of jarred (Earth's Best organic) baby food varieties. I've attempted to make him food myself but he has completely rejected it, apparently because I can't make it as thin and smooth as the jarred foods.
I guess at this point, I'm looking for ideas. I want to keep expanding his cuisine horizons but am not sure what else I can be giving him at this point. So here's a list of what we've done so far -- would love to hear what you're all giving (or gave) your babes at this stage, as well as any resources you've found particularly helpful (wholesomebabyfood.com is one site I've found moderately useful). Also, how quickly should I introduce more finger foods -- and what?
-Rice cereal (he will not eat oatmeal -- have tried two brands)
-Jarred fruits, veggies and meats
-Yogurt (Yo Baby)
-Egg yolks
-Canned pumpkin (which he loves)
-Veggie puffs
-Shredded mozzarella cheese
-Have also tried applesauce and smashed avocado, but he is not a fan -- I think texture bothers him.
Posted by Good Egg Hatched at 11:48 AM 9 comments Links to this post
Monday, October 4, 2010
Banner Day
It was an interesting day.
Started with a drive into town for an ultrasound at a diagnostic center with 3D ultrasound equipment. It impressed me that it was a test I had not previously been acquainted with, having done what I thought was most OB/GYN procedures known to womankind at this point. I was not impressed with what I saw on the screen -- my fibroids (which was what my doctor was looking at in anticipation of my upcoming operative hysteroscopy) looked pretty average and I didn't see anything particularly special about the images. I mean, for a commute into the city and $11 in parking shouldn't they have provided a little entertainment?
Anyway I became quite wistful sitting in the waiting area among all the big bellies. And an abdominal ultrasound is just so anticlimactic when all you see is your own boring body parts. No little hands waving at you, no baby hiccups to see in action. It confirmed for me that I'm doing the right thing, exploring the possibilities around baby #2. I like thinking that I have that to look forward to again.
Ultrasound completed, I went on to my alma mater to exchange a t-shirt I'd bought a few weeks back when I visited campus with a good friend and fellow alumna. (Note to self: When buying a t-shirt that says "slim fit" at a store specializing in sizes for students nearly 20 years your junior, even size Large is laughing at you.) The wistfulness continued. Once you've reached a certain age, nothing makes you feel older than walking around your old college campus early in the school year when the fresh-faced incoming class is still buzzing around with all the hope in the world about the good things to come. Still, as I lugged my diaper bag around (H was at his grandparents' house but I was too lazy to switch purses -- don't judge me), I couldn't help but feel a little self-satisfied too. I mean, if I could talk to my own fresh face I'd tell her to just eat this time up. But I'd also tell her there's a heck of a lot of good to come much later. And also, she will someday be just so much smarter than she was at 18.
From there, I went on another long-overdue errand: I went for a bra fitting at a respectable underpinnings store like a real lady. I mean, I've been getting through life wearing a nursing bra because it's the only thing that currently fits (having graduated from my reliable 34B somewhere in the second trimester), and seriously, we simply can't have that any longer. I confirmed I am exactly the size I expected and bought one, perfectly fitting bra that did so much for my mood that I think there should be a nationally mandated bra fitting day.
After H was home for a while and went to bed, I ended the day catching up with a friend -- the kind of friend you miss if you don't talk for a few days -- over a civilized glass of wine.
On my mind the entire day: this news about Robert Edwards and his well deserved Nobel Prize. I blubbered as I heard NPR report on it this morning, on my way to the ultrasound. If it weren't for this guy...well, thankfully, we'll never know. But I'm glad he's around, and that he did what he did. What else can I say but thank you, Professor Edwards. Thank you.
Posted by Good Egg Hatched at 8:19 PM 4 comments Links to this post


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We had the predictable uproar about all the great VW ads we overlooked in our 20 Classic Volkswagen Commercials post last week, because VW has always done great advertising and you can't possibly cover everything.
Yes, yes, we know that the "Umpimp Your Ride" commercials were hilarious, the Beetle-dropped-from-helicopter Corrado ad was a winner, and some folks even mentioned the ad that used that annoying song. We'll get to them on Classic Ad Watch, eventually. Then we heard about this collection of UK-market Volkswagen ads over on MotorTorque and decided it would be best to post it right away. You see, it was so shocking to see that VW's marketers dared to get all eggheady and put a goddamn Dylan Thomas poem in a car ad that we had to share this outrage with y'all! Why, if General Westmoreland hadn't'a kicked Archdude Franz Ferdinand's ass in Grenada, those warm-beer-drinkin' Brits would all be speakin' Afrikaans by now! Anyway, here's the ad, which we're forced to admit is pretty cool… in the same geeked-out-yet-useless way that the Apple Cube was pretty cool. When you're done with that, go watch the other 15 ads.


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Thursday, July 05, 2007
Corruption in the White House.
Last month, the Supreme Court agreed with the Bush Justice Dept., ruling against Rita's appeal for a reduced sentence based his exemplary military service.
Sen. Joe Biden:
Tony Snow said that President Bush decided to commute Scooter Libby's two and a half year-prison sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice, because it was "excessive."
Yet last year the Bush Administration filed a "friend-of-the-court brief" with the Supreme Court, in an attempt to uphold a lower court's ruling that a 33-month prison sentence for Victor Rita, who was convicted of the same exact charges, perjury and obstruction of justice, was "reasonable."
Pres. Bush cited Libby's "years of exceptional public service" in commuting his prison sentence. But Libby is the classic Bushie chickenhawk — a neocon bureaucrat with no service record whose fingerprints are all over the worst military planning in American history.
Conversely, Victor Rita is the real deal:
Victor Rita is a very sympathetic defendant: he served 24 years in the Marine Corps, had tours of duty in Vietnam and the first Gulf war, and has received over 35 military metals and awards. Also, he is an elderly gentleman who suffers serious health problems.
The Supreme Court ruled on the case last month:
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that criminal sentences within guidelines set by a federal commission are generally entitled to be upheld on appeal, a decision that limits legal options for defendants who feel that they have been punished too harshly.
By a vote of 8 to 1, the court held that, even though it recently ruled that the sentencing ranges set by the U.S. Sentencing Commission are no longer mandatory, judges who follow them may be presumed to have acted reasonably…
The case that the court decided yesterday, Rita v. United States, No. 06-5754, was meant to help define "advisory."
Victor Rita, convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, asked for a lighter sentence based in part on his past military service. But the judge gave him 33 months, as suggested by the guidelines. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, based in Richmond, upheld the sentence, saying that penalties within the guidelines are "presumptively reasonable."
It is customary in the pardoning process for the president to contact the Justice Dept. for input. But the White House is adamant that Bush did not speak to anyone at Justice about the Libby pardon. If he had run it past them, it's possible he could have avoided what appears to be a spectacular blunder.
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Welcome Missy! Thanks for saying hello.
You are hereForums › General › Welcome - Getting Started › Introduce yourself!
Introduce yourself!
Hi everyone! I'm Susana, writting to all of you from Portugal. I'm 33 years old and I love getting creative whith papers, scraps and all the beautifull things Marisa displays on pixelscrapper. I love travelling and enjoying the pleasurable places our beautifull world has to offer. My recent favourites are Paris and Istambul. Absolutely amazing!
I love decorating my home with memories from the places I've visited, and getting hands-on with crafts and all kinds of art work.
Greetings to all of you and a special one for Marisa for all the inspiration provided.
Hi everyone my name is Nita and I joined a few days ago and have really enjoyed looking around. I especially like the tutorials love to learn new things. Have been doing digital scrapbooking of my grand childern for several years and would love to learn to make my own designs to work with and share.
Hi all, my name is Meg & I must confess I'm more of a digital scrapbooking hoarder than a "do-er" at this point - gotta make time! I love all of the gorgeous designs @ Pixelscrapper, thanks for making them available!! Now to make some time to scrap!
Welcome ladies! Thanks for saying hello!
Hi.. I'm Chika from Indonesia.. Maybe some people never heard about Indonesia. But You must be knew about Bali.. Yup.. Bali is One of beautiful islands in Indonesia. But i wasn't live in Bali. I live in Bandung. Bandung also known as Paris in Java.
I have a lack of English skill. SO.. sorry...if my sentence full of bad grammar..
I have 2 Lil Daughters.. Nisrin (5) and Evelyn (1). They're my scrapping inspiration..
Nice to join in with all of you..
I'm a 36-year-old stay at home mama just outside Huntsville, Alabama in the USA, and I've been on this site for the past few weeks. I've always been interested in digital layout (I laid out our high school newspaper and my college yearbook, both digitally, although that was MANY years ago!) and love how the analyst in me can join the creative side of my brain in making something beautiful and unique (yet well-spaced and well-planned!) through digital layout.
I'm too much of a pack rat to do paper scrapbooking (would never be able to find my supplies again once I bought them!) and tend to use ideas on here more for event planning (invitations, labels, menus) than for actual digital scrapbooking, but I hope to get there soon! And I love that my 3-year-old son woke up last night in the middle of the night and came to snuggle with me on the couch while I was looking at design elements on here; he LOVED the beautiful colors and designs, and we had a great time identifying things (he would point to colors, numbers, letters, and objects and let me know that he knew what everything was.)
Bet you didn't know your site was a hit with the pre-school crowd, too! Keep up the great work on the site!
Hey, I'm mom to some wonderful kids who tend to cost a bundle. To save on expenses I like to design their invites for parties and such! This is a great site since I'm trying to save some cash! Thank you for putting this stuff out there!
Hi i am Cassey, I have never learn art or photoshop in School or in University ( Was a geo student). But when i got an opportunity to design prints for my friends wedding invitation , i found pixel scrapper and it made designing so much easier! THank GOD I love Pixel Scrapper :DDD
Welcome ladies! Glad to have you here!
Bet you didn't know your site was a hit with the pre-school crowd, too!
@Chika: I have been to Bali. A beautiful place!
Hi! Everyone. I found this site doing a search for blog trains. I think I will really enjoy it here.
I am here in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Bonjour je suis Chantal 56. Je vis en France avec mon mari et notre fils de 14 ans.
J'ai commencé le scrapbooking fin 2007 et je scrappe un peu tous les jours.
Je découvre ce site qui fourmille d'idées, merci beaucoup de partager.
Welcome everybody! I hope you enjoy our community and get involved with us
I am new here and hope to learn from all of the veterans! I can't scrap digitally to save my life, but I want to...just in case I have to scrap to save my life! LOL!
I will visit this site.ok
just visit the site was already a fan and I will indicate my sister who is also a fan of the scrapbook.
I loved the organization of the site, how the freebies are displayed.
I'm a SAHM and food blogger. I love to design and am toying with the idea of doing something home-based.
Right now I live in Eastern NC, but we will be moving to sunny (and HOT) Arizona soon!
Hi! I'm Deb and I live in Southern Indiana in a very small town. Although I have been picking up Marisa's contributions to blog trains, this is my first real visit here. I am just getting started in digital scrapbooking - in fact, I haven't installed Elements yet and I have had it for over a month! - but I have been collecting stuff (and buying) for almost a year. I retired before Christmas and decided if I was going to get serious about digital, I better get organized. Unfortunately, I keep getting more stuff and never finish organizing it all!
HI, I'm Marg from Arizona. I've been into digi scrapping web graphics for about a decade now. I have been stopping by and visiting your trains but saw the new FB post about the forums so thought I just sign up and introduce myself. I've long been an admirer of all the designers that post here. Thank you for all your lovely work
Not sure why my avatar isn't working. Hmmmm....
I'm Carrie. I dabble in digi scrap here and there. While I've been doing it for a few years now, I still feel like I'm a newbie. I see so many awesome digi creations and start to think that what I create isn't all that good. But I have to remind myself that I'm learning and to enjoy the journey. I actually don't take that many pictures. I'm usually so involved in what I'm doing that I don't think about taking pictures to capture those memories. So most of my creations are without pics. I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, and many of my creations revolve around that in some way. I would like to digi scrap supplies to sell. Right now I'm in the dreaming and collecting stage. I like that pixelscrapper offers so many great commercial use products that are easily accessible.
I just turned 34. I've been married for a year and a half. I don't have any kids but am ready for them whenever they come. My husband is a lawyer, and I am the office manager for his firm. We live near Lansing, MI USA. I grew up on a farm and my husband grew up just outside Detroit. So where we live is a good middle ground for both of us.
Wow, lots of new people, thats GREAT Welcome everybody!
There we go... I tried uploading a picture yesterday but it wouldn't let me.
Hi, I'm Allie, a SAHM to an awesome 3 year old and wife to an awesome guy. I do mostly paper but do some hybrid, and use digi for certain projects. I came here looking for ideas, and basically got here by link cruising (but not the blog hop). See you on the forums!
So many people! Welcome everyone and thanks for saying hello!
i enjoy reading these intros!
Hi, I'm Dawn. I'm 49 and live with my husband, my son (22) and a very old miniature schnauzer (16) in the Buckinghamshire countryside in the UK. We spent almost 30 years living in London so for now we are just enjoying the fresh air. I don't scrapbook (don't all scream!) but I do make cards and find much inspiration in page lay-outs and scrapbooking kits. I love wildlife and photography and I must have the most photographed frogs in any English garden. I am more likely to be a lurker than a poster but I will pop up from time to time - Oh - and I'm not English, I'm Welsh - the sticking out lump over on the left side of the UK near Ireland. My family is all still there and I visit often.
Hi! I'm Liz. Currently I live in upstate NY, but am originally from Nashville, TN. I've been scrapping for a little over 10 years, and digi scrapping for about 4. I just found this site recently, but am really enjoying it! Thanks so much!
Hi y'all, I found this site while browsing Pinterest! I clicked through an interesting-looking pin, and here I was. After poking around a little I decided this looked like a nice friendly place to get my feet wet in the digital scrapbooking world.
About myself ... I have three kids, a too-small house, a dog, a cat, and a husband. And a lot of digital pictures that I never get printed or anything. I feel guilty about that. Then I stop taking pictures for a while, and I feel bad about "missing" that month of the kids' lives, so I take more, and then feel bad about not "doing" anything with them either! So I thought digital scrapbooking (because I do not not not have room for tons of papers and little doodads around here) was the way to go.
I also like cooking, baking, reading, Psych (the TV show), boats, hats, green and purple, down comforters, and history.
Welcome Laura! I loved hearing all about you (especially about your guilt I am laughing so hard! ) and you know what...I think you will do great in the area of journaling when you do get into digi scrapping!!!! Oh, and not having room was my reason to get into digital also! So happy you are here!
Hi, I`m Nicole and I live in Almere, Holland. I`m married, 3 kids and I`ve got my own tea and coffeeshop for over a year no, so I don`t have a lot of time..... but for now... I`m making time. I`m just loving digital scrapbooking and want to make my own stuff
Hi Nicole!
Great so see you here!
I'm Jessica and I am 40 years old, I have 2 kids, a boy and a girl and because of a handicap I am always at home and have got lots of time to scrap and design
I also like to take photo's, one of my other hobbies.
This site was introduced to me by my friend Saskia and because I love to scrap...that's why I am here.
Hugs, Jessica


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Compare cheap flights from Cairns to Kyrgyzstan
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